By Henry Munaaba Dhikusooka
Uganda has a very good number of universities that is taking on students after high school.
Others are chartered while others are still operating on provisional licenses.
As of 2023, the following are the only chartered universities in Uganda as per records from the National Council for Higher Education.
These include;
Makerere University
Kyambogo University
Mbarara University of Science and Technology
Gulu University
Muni University
Kabale University
Lira University
Mountain of the Moon University
Africa Bible University
Bugema University
International University of East Africa
Kampala International University
Kampala University
Nkumba University
Uganda Christian University
Uganda Martyrs University
Islamic University in Uganda
ISBAT University
Victoria University
Ndejje University
Bishop Stuart University.
Others in the market are still operating on provisional licenses.
What does having a charter mean in education circles?
Since the enactment and establishment of the National Council for Higher Education in 2003, a number of around 252 institutions both private and public have been accredited.
By having a charter by implication it means such a University is in position to deliver quality education that meets International standards.
Graduates from such universities can easily be admitted to other universities world over and within for postgraduate studies without hesitation and other attached conditions.
For instance, in Uganda it’s hard to join Makerere University or other government chartered universities for a Masters degree course when your first degree is from a university which is not chartered thereby hindering your chances of upgrading.
The NCHE Act provides for a period of only three years to hold a provisional license and after that period, such universities are supposed to apply for charter status which has a check list provided by the National Council of Higher Education.
Relatedly, for any University to start a new course, constituency college or study centers; this should be cleared and accredited by the NCHE.
I have seen so many Universities hondwinking innocent students bu setting up study centers, starting in accredited courses and even inviting applications for Masters degree programs when they are still operating on provisional licenses. This is academic suicide and it’s our duty to alert our kids on the likely impact of such enrollment.
It’s important before you apply for any course to check with the National Council of higher Education and equally consult widely.
A number of universities have equally started unaccredited courses and study centers and this has equally compromised the quality of education because such centers have not been inspected and approved by the sector regulatory body/ council.
Some of the requirements for accreditation is about the quality of staff specifically with PhD, infrastructure, strategic plan, financial capacity, research,staff development programs etc.
Any institution of higher learning without a serious research program and without a strategic plan is as good as dead. It’s therefore incumbent on us to encourage people/ students to go to the right institutions to avoid problems in future.
The author, Henry Munaaba Dhikusooka is a
Member- Busoga Lukiko/Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bugabula chiefdom & a senior Educationist.
